A traditional offering ritual to pray for national peace, prosperity and favourable weather was held on Nam Giao Esplanade in the imperial city of Hue on April 17.

The ritual, one of the conventional rites under the last feudal Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) and part of the ongoing Hue Festival 2014, has been restored and is conducted as it was during the feudal era.

Measures have been taken to enable more people to join the incense-offering ceremony, said Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Centre for the Reservation of Hue Relics.

Nam Giao Esplanade was built in 1806 in Duong Xuan village, to the south of the ancient Hue Citadel under the reign of the dynasty founder, King Gia Long (1762-1820). In 1807, the king held his first God worshipping ceremony there.

It was recognised by UNESCO as world cultural heritage in 1993.

The biennial Hue Festival, the eighth of its kind, is taking place in the UNESCO-recognised World Cultural Heritage city of Hue from April 12 – 20, honouring Vietnam’s unique cultural and historical values.-VNA